Climate Techbook

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions come from diverse sources across the economy. The magnitude of emissions and diversity of sources means that no single technology, policy, or behavioral change will be able to “solve” climate change. Rather, a portfolio of solutions is needed. A wide range of technologies already exist, or are currently under development, to facilitate greenhouse gas emission reductions.

The Climate Techbook is an online resource for information on reducing greenhouse emissions from all sectors. The Techbook is comprised mostly of technology summaries that include how the technology works, how it can reduce GHG emissions, and what policy options exist to help promote it. The Techbook also contains sectoral overviews that provide high-level summaries of GHG mitigation opportunities and policy options in the major GHG-emitting sectors of the economy.

Emissions by Sector

The chart to the right shows the percent of greenhouse gas emissions from each of the five key economic sectors in the United States. Greenhouse gas emissions data come from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2011. Click on a sector to learn more about the emissions from that sector, as well as the technologies that can help lower emissions.

Technologies by Sector

Select a technology or a sectoral overview. The sectoral overviews define each sector, the major sources of greenhouse gas emissions, and policies that would help reduce emissions. The technology summaries include how each technology works, how it can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and what policy options exist to help promote it. Note that certain technologies can play a key role in more than one sector.